Xiaomi’s MIUI has been one of the most popular Android ROMs out there. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has been developing MIUI on top of the Android platform providing many features to its users. MIUI has been bringing separate elements as the update cycles are different for the two. Usually, for a new MIUI build, the manufacturer firstly pushes it to a closed beta version, then on to an Open Beta, before it is finally released as a stable build for all the users of a particular device. During the beta testing phase, Xiaomi collects a lot of feedback from its users. However, now Xiaomi has announced that it will stop developing beta updates for budget segment phones to streamline the development of these ROMs.
Suspension of Beta Updates for Phones Older than One Year
Xiaomi, in its official forum post, has noted that it will be limiting the MIUIs beta to smartphones which are less than a year old starting July 5. This means that Xiaomi phones which are more than a year old will not receive any beta phase updates and will only get a stable version of the MIUI going forward. The brand has also noted that it will not impact the development of the stable version of the MIUI for Xiaomi and Redmi devices.
No Beta Updates for Entry-Level Redmi Smartphones
It is worth noting that this is only the first part of the announcement by Xiaomi. The Chinese manufacturer has also indicated in its official MIUI forum post that it will be suspending the MIUI Beta ROMs for entry-level Redmi smartphones too. Although the post did not make any mention of devices which might be affected by this new limitation, it is our opinion that the newly launched Redmi 7A and the Redmi 7 are the kind of devices which might not be receiving any more MIUI beta updates. Even with this being said, Xiaomi has ensured the users that the stable updates for these devices will not be affected in the light of this new announcement.
Although there is a chance that this announcement comes suddenly for a lot of users, it is worth noting that Xiaomi has been planning the suspension of new updates for the older Redmi of Xiaomi phones for quite some time now. Back in April, Xiaomi had announced the cancellation of Android Pie updates for 2018’s entry-level smartphones – the Redmi 6 and the Redmi 6A. Announcing this, the Chinese manufacturer had said that there were not enough beta testers for the rollout of the updates. Xiaomi’s stepping into the affordable flagship segment with the launch of the Redmi K20 might be another reason for this as the brand would want to highlight its top of the line device by borrowing some attention from the lesser value smartphones. Now, these announcements currently hold true for the Chinese market, and we are yet to see what limitations Xiaomi places for updates to its phones in other markets.
